Now knowing a little bit more about the camera, the Nikon Coolpix P530, I have found the it has some limitations for the shooting I want to do. I am focusing on night and low light photography and have learned that shutter speed is important. Here is a list of the max shutter speed the P530 has based on its ISO setting:

ISO 3200 & 6400 – 1/2 second

ISO 1600 – 1 second

ISO 800 – 2 seconds

ISO 400 – 4 seconds

ISO 200 – up to 8 seconds in Manual mode

ISO 100 – up to 15 seconds in Manual mode

I’m trying to take shots between ISO 800 – 3200 with the shutter open up to 30 seconds. That is not going to happen with this camera. The exposure compensation with the P530 was pretty easy to figure out and was explained well in the manual. Being able to adjust the f stop on the camera is also simple to do from Manual mode. The limitations of the f stop, depending on the zoom, are explained in the manual very clearly as well.

Another place where I had a limitation or difficulty using at full optical zoom, is the manual focus. Part of why I had difficulty using the manual focus at full optical zoom, is my tripod isn’t the sturdiest. I am basing this off of trying to take a shot of the moon. I have to with one hand hold the shutter button half way to let the auto focus do it’s thing. Then with the other hand, trying not to block the 3″ display, I have to rotate the multi-selector clockwise/counter clockwise until the center of the image is where you want it. Now you get to depress the shutter button the rest of the way to get the shot.

I am sure the manual focus works better and is easier to use on objects that aren’t 225,000 miles away. What can I say, they never build things to do what I want them to do.

What is the bottom line? This camera isn’t made anymore. If you are looking to get a starter camera, or upgrade from the cheap camera you have been using to take holiday photos, this might work for you. I’ve taken good shots of wildlife, landscapes and portraits with the Nikon Coolpix P530. I got lucky finding this camera for my first digital camera. One feature that I must mention it this cameras ability to shoot full HD 1080p video. The ability to use 64GB microSD cards help with shooting longer and multiple videos without changing cards.

You can find this camera on amazon for $399.99 new and $299.99 certified refurbished. It is a pretty good price for the certified refurbished camera. If you click on the image below, it will take you to Amazon’s website, to the page with all of the detailed information on the camera.